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7 Tips for a Less Stressful Morning | + Free Printable Guide

ByMelissa Ringstaff
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As busy moms and homemakers, mornings can feel stressful if we don’t have a good plan. It’s so important to be intentional with your time in the mornings! Today I’m sharing 7 tips for a less stressful morning that will help you start the day off right.

7 Tips for a Less Stressful Morning @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Mornings can be a little chaotic to say the least! In fact, in our house, with Hannah’s ice skating schedule, our mornings often begin with the alarm going off at 3:30 am – and that’s not just for me. Everyone has to get up and get going!

Getting kids organized and moving in the morning can be hard when everyone is tired and cranky. With a little preparation the night before – or even once a week – mornings can be painless!

7 Tips for a Less Stressful Morning

1. Prep lunches ahead. Either once a week or nightly while you whip up dinner prep packed lunches so they are ready to go in the morning. You can even store most lunches in the freezer all the way down to chips. The lunch will act as it’s own ice pack and you just have to grab and go in the morning.

related: 125+ Healthy Lunch Box Ideas + Free Printable

2. Check for backpacks, shoes, and homework before bed. Without the stress of looking for these things in the morning things so so much smoother. Setting up a box in the bathroom with each person’s hygiene products, hair brush, and other needs is a great way to streamline morning hygiene rituals as well.

3. Create a command center. You know, a place for your keys, your calendar, to do lists, and other must haves to make your life easier when it’s time to get out the door. Everything should be visible with a quick glance so you know what you need to do each day.

4. Prep breakfasts the night before. While you’re prepping lunches you can get breakfast ready for the next morning as well. Most foods can be reheated in the morning for a hearty hot meal that you do not have to cook. Scrambled eggs, pancakes, and french toast all store and reheat well for busy mornings. You can even pack them in microwavable containers that children can reheat themselves as they come down for breakfast. This is a life saver!

5. Give your child a check list for the morning. For young kids a visual list is a great way to get them to complete routine tasks from brushing teeth to making their own bed. Keeping kids on task without yelling makes mornings more pleasant. Visual quest reduce fighting by allowing children to know what the need to do next without nagging.

6. Build routines for you and your family for bedtime. When children get enough sleep they are more likely to wake up and get moving without a fight. That extra few minutes to go in and out of sleep for a gentler wake up.

related: 8 Tips for a Less Stressful Bedtime

7. Start a bit early. Set an alarm for a bit before everyone HAS to get up – unless you’re getting up at 3:30 am like us! Don’t tell your kids you’re doing this. Just do it. By setting the alarm early you have time for them to resist and hit snooze.

Do you have any tips or tricks for a less stressful morning with kids? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

More Resources:

Action Steps to Take Today

  1. Pray about your morning routine and ask God to help you be intentional with your time.
  2. Make a list of things you feel could be better about your morning routine and what the solutions might be.
  3. Think about what you can prepare before bed tonight and make a to do list.
  4. Go to bed early and set your alarm to allow plenty of time for your morning routine.
  5. Download my free printable, A Simple Morning Routine Guide below, if desired.

Free Printable Morning Routine Guide

A Simple Morning Routine @ AVirtuousWoman.org

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  1. Just fill out the form below and you’ll receive an email giving you instant access to my free guide: A Simple Morning Routine to Get Your Heart and Home in Order.
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A Simple Morning Routine

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My name is Melissa Ringstaff and I've been blogging here at A Virtuous Woman since 2001. I'm a pastor's wife and homeschooling mom living in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of Southeastern KY. I believe in finding freedom from perfection and living life with purpose and I want to help you do exactly that.

I'm so glad you've stopped by to visit with me. I hope we can be friends!

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9 Comments

  1. HI Melissa, I also get everyone's outfits, including underwear, undershirt, socks and HAIR BOWS (that's a big one) , together in a stack the night before. I cannot tell you how often this step has saved us! I just can't seem to "think" early in the morning so this let's us just go on auto-pilot. Another thing (which was my husband's brainstorm) is that we "untie" my daughter's tennis shoes the night before as that one step saves precious seconds and frustration in the morning. My daughter is a newly turned 7 yr old so this may be too structured for older kids....,but it works for us. Hope all is well with your gang and Sarah is feeling better! Paige
    Reply
    1. Thank you, Paige. I love how you've thought about the little details that make your mornings hassle free! And thank you, Sarah is feeling much, much better. I think she's on her way to a full recovery now. After so many months of being sick, we're so very thankful. I appreciate your prayers!
      Reply
  2. Great Tips! One thing we love to do is on Sunday night, I make PB&Js for the week and pop them in the freezer and it is so easy for the kids to get their lunches packed! I love the idea of a bathroom basket for each kiddo! I hate mornings and the thought of getting up at 3:30! Bless your heart!
    Reply
    2. Diana Thanks for the idea about the PB&J ! I have one who takes his lunch daily and I cannot count the number of times we had to run lunch to him since he forgot to make it. This will be a huge help for us :-)
      Reply
  3. we also do as much as possible the night before so things go smoother. I like to have an early dinner so afterwards we can straighten the house up, get ready for the next day and have all our ducks in a row. Also another tip is that if you're planning to go out for the day, pack what you can in the car the night before, IE diaper bag, fun things for the kids to do and have a printed checklist that is laminated so you can mark off things as you do them. Saves a ton of time. Plus diffuse some orange, grapefruit and lemon essential oils in the AM to wake and refresh everyone. The kitchen is a great spot since everyone is there in the morning.
    Reply
  4. I have to do this for myself, let alone if I had kids, ha! Monday mornings are for the grocery run, and Sunday night I make sure everything is ready to go, so all I have to do is get myself physically ready (dressed, brush teeth, etc), then come into the office, grab my grocery planner, keys, and purse, and head out the door. The less I have to think about in the morning, the easier it is to do!
    Reply

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